By Quinn O’Hara

The Marysville Chamber & Main Street is in the process of designating a Marysville Historic District.

Brenda Spencer is a preservation consultant with 30 years of experience. She says Marysville has an “incredible intact group of traditional historic commercial buildings,” and was surprised to find that Marysville did not already have an officially listed historic district of their own.

The primary criteria for the district includes a minimum building age of 50 years, looks at how the buildings in the proposed district relate to each other, and lists that the buildings must retain key aspects of their original design and construction.

Spencer says the project is still in its early stages:

The survey will be performed on each location being considered for the historic district, and will help coordinate efforts with the Kansas State Historic Society to determine the exact boundaries of the district.

Buildings that get selected to be a part of the district will get special tax credit incentives, which Spencer says have increased this year:

The Marysville Chamber will be visiting the city of Great Bend in late January to discuss their historic districts. The Chamber hopes the meeting will aid them in their efforts by receiving advice, suggestions and recommendations from those who have already completed the process.